Most of us smile when we think of cheese (unless you’re lactose intolerant – then you probably grimace.) Cheese can be creamy, salty, gritty and pretty smelly, but Americans sure are in love with this bacterial bonanza. (More on that later.) Although here in the USA we currently eat about 1/3 pound per week, the Greeks have us beat. They are the biggest cheese eaters on the planet at about 54 pounds per person per year.

Cheese is an ancient food product. Archeologists have found remains of cheese in Egyptian tombs that are over 4000 years old. These cheeses were probably made by accident when nomads, warriors and shepherds designed canteens from the stomachs of animals. Calf’s stomachs contain an enzyme called rennin, which coagulates milk protein. So, these folks would fill their pouch with milk in the morning and after walking around all day (and jostling the milk around with those enzymes), by afternoon the milk had turned to cheese. These first cheeses were probably quite sour and not as flavorful as our cheeses today. Currently, there are hundreds of varieties of cheese, so there is something for everyone.

Cheese is made by coagulating or curdling milk, then stirring and heating the curds. The watery part (called whey) is drained and the curds are pressed and ripened. (Little Miss Muffett’s favorite, curds and whey, is similar to our present day cottage cheese.)Ripening usually involves either injecting bacteria into the cheese or rubbing bacteria or mold on the top of the cheese to help form a rind. But don’t worry, these bacteria and molds are safe and are what give cheeses their distinctive flavors and textures. Go to www.bacteriamuseum.org and click on the Good Bacteria in Food link for more details and recipes on how to make your own cheese. As some cheeses age, they develop mold on the outside. So, in cheeses such as Brie and Roquefort, these molds are part of the deal. But other times mold can be dangerous and spoiled cheeses can harbor germs such as Listeria and Salmonella. If your hard and semi-soft cheeses have mold that is not part of the original cheese, you can cut off a section – about one inch around the moldy area on all sides. If your soft or shredded cheeses are moldy, throw them out.

Try some of these favorite cheeses from all across the map.

England – Shropshire Blue – A cow’s milk blue cheese with a beautiful orange interior. Tangy, but not too strong.

France – Morbier – Semi-soft cow’s milk cheese with a layer of ash in the center. Flavor is reminiscent of nuts and fruits.

Italy – Fontina D’Aosta – Not your standard grocery store fontina. Semi-firm cow’s milk cheese with a very earthy flavor.

Spain – Manchego– A sheep’s milk cheese with its trademark crosshatch pattern on the rind. A nice addition to a cheese tray.

Switzerland – Raclette – The ultimate melting cheese, this cow’s milk cheese has a sweet aroma and is great served with bread chunks, boiled potatoes and gherkin pickles.

United States – Coach Farm Goat Cheeses – These New York cheeses are really flavorful and have richly, developed textures. A top notch US producer.

For more reading about everything “cheese”, check out Cheese Primer by Steve Jenkins ( Workman, 1996) and Mastering Cheese by Max McCalman and David Gibbons (Clarkson Potter, 2009)